Ford, however, helped offset some of those losses by posting gains of slightly over 7 percent. It also sold the highest number of vehicles in the month.

Higher interest rates and protracted cycle of sales growth has contributed to the slight tailing off of sales, said David Adams, president of the Global Automakers of Canada.

The Bank of Canada has raised https://www.reuters.com/article/canada-cenbank/update-3-bank-of-canada-hikes-rates-shrugging-of-trade-tensions-idUSL1N1U70MS interest rates four times so far this year and signaled more rate hikes to come as the country grapples with the pressures of rising inflation.

Fiat Chrysler, which is among the top four carmakers, recorded a 9.6 percent drop in sales, while Toyota registered a modest 2.4 percent rise. The Ford F-Series pick-up truck was Canada's best-selling vehicle through three quarters, Adam added.

Top automakers earlier in the day pointed to a small increase in U.S. auto sales for the month of August including another sharp rise in SUV sales, as low unemployment and strong consumer confidence helped mitigate the impact of rising interest rates and fuel prices. (Reporting by Laharee Chatterjee in Bengaluru; Editing by Shounak Dasgupta and Anil D'Silva)